Method of making buffing wheels



Nov. 2, 1954 G. A. LYON METHOD oF MAKING BUFFING WHEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet' l Filed Dec. 29, 1949 5%/ JVENZ. 02"' Geozgedbe [@012 E5 h .Elib/5 Nov., 2, 1954 G. A. LYON METHOD OF MAKING BUFFING WHEELS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed DeC. 29, 1949 E YVEj-JLDP 'eofgeelef [$012 United States Patent C) 2,693,064 Marano or Maxam noname WHEELS George Albert Lyon, Detroit, Mich. Application December 29, 1949, Serial No. 135,675

Claims. (Cl. 51-193) This invention relates to improvements in butiing wheel construction. More particularly, it has to do with an improved buif and a method of making the buff.

Heretofore, buing wheels have been provided wherein the but was fabricated by assembling a plurality of discs on a common arbor. In my copending-application, U. S. Serial No. 126,353, filed November 9, 1949, which matured as Patent No. 2,571,147, granted October 16, 1951, of which the present application is a continuationin-part, I disclosed a new type of butling wheel wherein a iiat strip of buing material of constant width is wound on the peripheral surface of a generally cylindrical core with the plane of the flat strip disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of the core.

The present application has to do with a novel type of continuous flat strip buing element for winding on a core, and a method of fabricating the element.

lt is therefore an important object of the present invention to provide a novel bulf element.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a novel method of assembling a buff element.

A further object is the provision of a novel buff element that may be quickly assembled by use of a standard sewing and tucking machine.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a novel linger element which may be used to form a continuous strip bufling element.

According to the features of the present invention, a continuous bufiing element is formed by disposing a plurality of flat strips of buffing material of the same width one on top of the other and then placing a wire or cable longitudinally on top of the upper strip intermediate the side edges of the strip. rThe superimposed layers of buiiing material are then guided over laterally spaced guide plow sections which contact the material near the side edges and progressively fold the sides upwardly while leaving the central portion of the layers and the cable disposed thereon substantially at the original level. When the sides are in upright position, the layers of material are directed through a standard sewing and tucking machine where the layers are tucked and the opposed upstanding sides are sewed together by a continuous line of stitching at a point immediately above the cable. The element so formed has a rounded folded edge enclosing the cable, which rounded edge may be positioned in grooves on the peripheral surface of the core.

Other and further features, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to one skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a buling wheel employing a buil' element constructed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view of the buing wheel of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical view of the bufling wheel of Figure 1 showing the grooved core in elevation and the buliing element and a portion of the end flanges in section;

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of apparatus used in fabricating the novel buiiing element of the present invention;

Figure 5 is an end elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 4 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of a buffing ele- ICC y ment constructed according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 7 is an end elevational view of a modified buff assembly using finger elements;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a buf assembly partially assembled;

Figure 9 is a plan view of a finger element;

Figure l0 is a sectional view taken on line 10-10 of Figure 9.

As shown on the drawings:

In Figures 1, 2 and 3 the reference numeral 10 indicates a builing element wound on a core or arbor 12 which has a continuous helical groove 14 extending around the periphery. End plates 15 and 16 are disposed over reduced diameter end portions of the core and are secured thereon by bolts 15a and 16a.

The buiiing element lll is wound in the groove 14 and is anchored at one end by means of an elongated block 18 that extends axially of the core l2 and is disposed in an axial groove 18a in the core. A strong elongated ilexible element 19, which may be of stranded form or of solid form and will, for convenience, be referred to as cable, extends through the buiiing element and is secured in the block 18. This anchoring block 13 may be made of metal and the cable 19 may advantageously be welded or brazed thereto to provide a solid anchor during the winding of the cable 1 9 and the buing element onto the core.

As seen in Figure 3, the free end of the cable 19 is disposed in a blind passage 21 in a shoulder 22 of the end plate 16. A U-bolt 24 has leg portions disposed through spaced parallel openings 26 in the end plate 16 while the bight portion extends around the cable 19 and draws it into locked engagement with the end wall of the end plate when lock nuts 27 are tightened on the leg portions.

In Figures 4, 5 and 6 is shown one method of assembling the novel buliing element of this invention. The but-ling element 35 is formed, in this illustration, of four layers of material, one layer being unwound from each supply roll 30, 31, 32 and 33. The rolls may be journalled for rotation on shafts 34 and, as seen in Figure 4, the rolls may be so positioned that the material from the separate rolls is disposed in superimposed relation with aligned marginal edges. A cable 37, having an anchoring block 18 secured thereon, is positioned on the uppermost layer intermediate its side edges and then the four layers of material and the cable 37 are fed through a suitable guide plow 38 which progressively folds up the material on either side of the cable until it is in an upright position.

The guide plow 38 may be ol' anysuitable construction. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the plow may have oppositely sloping sides that engage the sides 35a and 35b respectively. Each side includes a substantially horizontal portion 38a and a vertical portion 3819 with a sloping transition portion 38e.

Next, the bufling element is guided into a standard tucking and sewing machine where the layers of material are pleated as shown at 39 in Figure 4 and then sewed together by stitching 41 adjacent the cable 37 as seen in Figure 6. The tucking operation is necessary to provide sufficient material at the outer periphery of the element as it is wound over the core.

After the butling element leaves the sewing machine, it may be cut into appropriate lengths.

In Figures 7, 8, 9 and l0 is illustrated another forrn of buiiing element 48. This element is made up of a plurality of linger buffs 49 which are bent over a cable 55 and sewed together with the top of one side of the finger buff in advance of the top of the other side. This provides a V-shaped appearance in a side elevational view as in Figure 8. In the end view of Figure 7, the sides 5t) and 51 appear close together, joined by the continuous stitching 58. The rounded lower edge 52 of the element is adapted to fit into a groove on the peripheral surface of the core.

Each finger bulf is made up of a sheet of buiing material folded over on itself several times and joined together by stitching 58.

A buing element made of linger buffs does not require Pleating' at the.. base. since., the. lingers.. are. non joned...at their outer ends.

It will be understood that-,the bung element made of finger buffs` may be formed inthe same Vmanner, as,the element of Figure 4. Thus, the buffs may bedisposed in an angular position relative .to theline. of feeding'of the material into the plowsandsewingmachine so that when the sides 50 and 51 are folded up, sidez51 willtrail side 50 as seen in Figure 8.

From the foregoing description it.will bel seen that there is provided 4in this inventiona novel, .eiicient manner of assembling bung elements by use of a standard sewing machine. The butts so formed are. simplev indesign and are accurately shaped ready for winding on a coreto form a buing wheel.

It will be understood'that modifications and,`..variationsy may bev effected without departinglfromthe novel con.-y cepts of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a method of forming a buflingelementfrom sheet material, the steps of positioning material supplyrolls of the same Width in alignment'forfeeding.material in a given direction with the axis-,of rotation of therolls normal to theline of feeding, disposing the sheets ofmaterial 'one on top of the other with the sheet from the rearmostroll on top, placing acablelongitudinally,on the uppermost sheet midway between the marginal edges, folding the sides of said sheets upwardly on either side of the cable, forming pleats inthe sheets adjacent, said cable and sewing the sides together by4 continuous stitching immediately above the cable.

2. In a method of forming a buing element, `the steps ofdisposing a plurality of strips of buingrnaterialfin superimposed layers for movement inapath. parallel "to the longitudinal axis ofthe strips, positioninga cable` on said strips intermediate the side edges thereof, .folding the sidesof said layers upwardly andinwardly, above said cable, forming pleats in the stripsV adjacent said` cable, and sewing said sides together by continuous stitching.

3. In a method-f forming a buff assembly, the steps. of supporting a plurality of lengths offbuf'ngfmaterial for movementin a longitudinal path, placinga cable. onsaid lengths of material intermediate the side-marginal, edges, folding upon itself the materialen either side-y of the cable as said lengths are moved insaid path, forming pleats in the material adjacent said cablese wing the f0lded.material together. by. a..continuousline of,stitch.

'ing close to said cable and on the opposite side from the Vend of said length to said core.

4. In a method of forminga surface-treating element, the steps of feeding a plurality of juxtaposed strips of surface-treating4 material in a generally rectilinear path, placing a cable longitudinally against one strip midway between the marginal'edges thereof, equally and evenly pressing .the sides of the strips on both sides of the cable in the direction generally normal to the portions of the strips in said rectilinearfpath as the strips are fed in said path to fold the strips about the cable with both marginal edges of each of the juxtaposed strips accurately aligned, forming pleats in the strips adjacent said cable, and sewing the folded sides ltogether by continuous stitchingV close to the cable and on the opposite side from the fold.

5. In a method of formingfa bufling element, the steps of disposing bufngmaterial in elongated'strip form in superimposed layers for movement in a path parallelto the longitudinal'strip axis, ypositioning a cable on said layers longitudinally intermediate the side edges thereof to .provide portions of the layers at opposite sides of the cable, folding said opposite side portions of said'layers toward one another about said'cable with a fold juncture connecting the portions on one side of the cable, form# ingpleats inv thelayers adjacent said cable, and`securing said portions together on the opposite side ofthe cable from said fold juncture.

References, Cited in the'le .of this patenti UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 533,833 Webster Feb. 5, 1895 955,322 Cramer Apr. 19, 1910 1,152,180 Jarvis Aug. 31, 1915 1,404,620 Levettl Jan; 24, 1922 1,927,862 Zimmerman Sept. 26, 1933 2,004,623 Yohe lune 11,' 1935' 2,130,849 Kreilicket: al. Sept; 20,' 1938 2,209,089 Peterson et al July 23,' 1940 2,350,216 Churchill May 30, 1944 2,483,879. Churchill Oct.` 4, 1949 

